Someone on my post 5x05 fic made a comment about writing a jealous Henry to counterpoint my jealous Elizabeth and since apparently I am surprisingly susceptible to suggestions here we are.
Also, it was an excuse to write office sex and I've been wanting to do that anyway. I've had this sitting open on my computer for what feels like forever, so I'm so glad it's done now.
We can just say this is set somewhere in Season 4.
…...
They're running through their morning routine when Elizabeth decides to drop a bombshell. Henry is sitting at the table paging through the newspaper and Allison and Jason are playing on their phones while ostensibly eating breakfast (he hasn't actually seen more than two bites cross their lips). Elizabeth is standing at the counter waiting for the coffee maker to finish. She is also on her phone, though he bets that her texting is slightly closer to national importance than their children's.
"You'll never guess who I have a meeting with today," she throws out.
"Hmmm?" Henry doesn't move his eyes from the paper.
"Mitch."
"Mmm." He stops, the information penetrating his brain and he looks up sharply. "Mitch Sullivan?"
She is still staring at her phone and answers distractedly "Yeah, from college, his company is big into alternative energy and is trying to get some traction in parts of Africa, Burkina Faso I think."
Henry scowls and sets down the paper. "I don't like him." Elizabeth turns to pour coffee into her travel mug.
She laughs. "Because I dated him for a year before I knew you?"
His scowl deepens. "No, because he continues to hit on you every time he sees you, even when I'm standing right there."
Their children look up with interest and Elizabeth laughs again as she turns to face him. "It's true," he defends himself.
"You're being ridiculous. He doesn't hit on me, he's just being friendly."
He briefly forgets the kids are there when he responds, "He's being a little more than friendly, last time he straight up propositioned you, while I was two feet away!"
Allison lets out a choked laugh and Jason looks a little disgusted. "It would have been better if you had been further away?" She jokes, but quickly continues when he narrows his eyes. "He wasn't suggesting anything untoward."
He decides it's too late to worry about the audience. "Elizabeth," he says with exasperation. "He invited you to his hotel room, how is that anything but a proposition for something untoward."
She looks a little flustered and starts gathering her things. "I don't remember it going quite like that, we were talking about work. But I need to go, I'm going to be late."
Jason pipes up, "Yeah, as illuminating and fun as this has been I think that's also my cue, Aly you still dropping me off on your way to class?"
"Yeah yeah. Let's go." They start to head out and Elizabeth is about to step out the door when he catches up to her.
He grabs her arm and spins her around before pushing her against the door and pressing a bruising kiss to her lips. She gasps and drops the bags she had been holding when he pulls her hips violently against his at the same time as his tongue sweeps into her mouth. He palms her bottom and grinds against her, causing her to moan into his mouth. He takes a hold of one of her legs and guides it up and around his waist. She arches into him and her hands tangle in his hair as she tilts her head to deepen the kiss.
He hears a disapproving sigh behind them and he pulls back and looks over his shoulder. Allison is standing there rolling her eyes. "Children are still in the house, can we keep it PG for the love of god."
He reluctantly steps away from his wife, allowing her leg to fall back to the floor. He shrugs his shoulders at his daughter, "Sorry, I thought you were gone."
Allison shakes her head and mutters something about needing to move out before leaving the room.
He turns back to Elizabeth and she is leaning heavily against the door and looks a bit dazed. He grins and goes to move toward her again. She holds her hand out stopping him "Oh no you don't, I have no time for this right now. You're going to have to deal with your jealous energy yourself."
He wants to protest the jealous part, but she's not wrong. She smiles at him, grabs her coffee from the side table, and escapes out the front door.
There's something about Mitch that has always gotten him particularly worked up. He knows his wife is desirable, he sees other men check her out all the time, hears them flirt with her. Usually he ignores it, almost finds it amusing sometimes, because though Elizabeth isn't lacking in self-confidence by any means, she is often oblivious to her own allure. He's seen her use it to her own advantage occasionally but largely she gets too wrapped up in policies and plans and trying to do good that she doesn't even notice when other people aren't as interested in those things as they are in her. Mitch though, Mitch has always been different. Elizabeth considers him a friend and they've run into each other frequently over the years even though his company is headquartered somewhere out west. He was her might have been, they'd been in a serious relationship her freshman year before Mitch had left to go to graduate school in California. And that would be enough by itself, but the way he is around her...Henry just doesn't like it. He knows he's being at least slightly irrational, but it's clear in every interaction he's seen that Mitch is still attracted to Elizabeth and wants to act on it. He has faith in his wife, but that doesn't mean he likes it when men throw themselves at her.
He shakes his head, attempting to clear it. He also really needs to head to work. He gathers his things and heads towards the car.
All throughout the day he barely keeps himself from texting or calling his wife to ask about Mitch. He even starts and deletes an email to Blake that subtly inquires about her schedule. When she calls around 4 he can't hold back anymore.
"How was your meeting?"
"What meeting?" She sounds distracted and to be fair it is an exceptionally vague question. She usually has ten meetings before lunch.
"With Mitch?"
"Mmmm," he hears her asking Blake about something and shuffling papers, "Oh that meeting? It was fine, nothing to write home about, though he had some proposals about collaboration with our ongoing work in Central Africa. We have another meeting tomorrow actually with the whole team."
Henry growls, it's low enough that he doesn't think it carries over the phone. "Look Henry I have to run, I'm not sure what time I'll be home, but maybe I'll see you tonight? Love you, Bye."
He barely manages to get a bye out before he hears the click of her hanging up.
He frets the rest of the day. He snaps at Jason over homework and burns the chicken. He tries and fails three times to grade term papers before giving up. He calls Elizabeth but she doesn't answer. He throws in the towel on the whole day around 10 and gets into bed. He tosses and turns until she finally comes into the room close to midnight. He listens as she completes her bedtime routine. When she gets into bed, he moves closer to her and wraps his arm around her waist. She startles. "You're awake?"
"Mhmm, couldn't sleep, missed you."
She makes a noncommittal noise. When he tries to tug her closer though she resists. "I'm exhausted Henry, I just want to sleep."
Mildly offended he pulls back and lays on his side of the bed. She must sense some of his distress, because she reaches out blindly and pats his arm. "Love you. It was a long day. Talk tomorrow?"
He reins himself back in. "Love you too. And of course." She lets out a contented sigh and pushes down into her pillow. She falls asleep quickly, he wakes up multiple times throughout the night, his chest tight from half-remembered nightmares.
The next morning he has an early meeting so she's still asleep when he leaves. He thinks about Elizabeth all morning, he just wants to be with her, to reassure himself that they're still good. He actually emails Blake today, but just to ask if she's free for lunch. He says that she is, so Henry asks Blake to pencil him in but not to tell Elizabeth, he wants to surprise her.
Blake isn't at his desk when Henry arrives for lunch, so he just walks right into Elizabeth's office. He's thrown to see that she isn't alone, Mitch is there as well. She is looking at something on her computer with Mitch leaning down next to her, entirely too close for comfort. The other man puts his hand over hers on the mouse, moving it to something. Mitch says something, too soft for him to hear, but Elizabeth throws her head back and laughs. She sees Henry and freezes, moving awkwardly away from Mitch.
"Henry? I didn't know you were coming." Mitch hasn't moved and even though she has shifted her chair, he is still exceedingly close to her. He stands up slowly, brushing his hand over Elizabeth's back as he does.
Henry considers himself a rational, progressive man, but right now all he is seeing is green. It takes a considerable amount of control for him to keep himself from walking over to snatch his wife and kiss her senseless. Instead, he holds up the bag in his hand. "I brought lunch. That Thai place you love."
"Oh. That's nice. Thank you." She doesn't meet his eyes.
Mitch looks directly at him and quirks his lips. "Actually we already ate, subs from Romano's." He turns back towards Elizabeth. "You were absolutely right by the way, the extra-large was way too much."
She laughs nervously and throws her glasses on the desk before standing up and walking over to Henry. She kisses his cheek and takes the bag from his hands, setting it down on the table. "There's always room for Thai. And you better get going Mitch, don't you have that meeting downstairs in ten?"
She settles herself on the couch as Mitch leaves. The minute the door closes, Henry swoops down next to her and pushes her against the arm of the couch, attacking her mouth with his. He tangles a hand in her hair, tilting her head for better access as his tongue duels with hers. She moans and he feels her body go limp. He leans on her, urging her body to slide further down. His knees nestle on either side of her hips and she arches against him. He shifts his mouth to her cheek, trailing his lips along her jaw bone, nipping at her ear lobe before moving down to her neck. He uses his teeth a few times on the delicate skin which has her whining. She pushes him away with a gasp when he starts to try and work on her shirt buttons.
"What the hell Henry?" Her cheeks are flushed, her breathing heavy, and her hair disheveled. All he wants to do is finish what they were just starting.
"Not up for a little afternoon delight?" He's going for cheeky, but he's pretty sure he's only coming off as desperate. He goes in for another kiss but she throws a hand up, smacking into his chest, blocking him.
"You know the rules about my office. And even without that, what has gotten into you?"
He adjusts himself, moving so that he's sitting on the opposite side of the couch. Now that he has time to think about everything he feels ridiculous. He's sure his wife would never cheat on him and even if she would this wouldn't have solved anything. He shakes his head. "I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking."
She holds his gaze. "I think you know exactly what you were thinking. You were jealous."
He looks off to the side. "Maybe."
She laughs. "Definitely. Look, I'm willing to concede that you are right, Mitch does have a crush on me, but it's harmless."
Henry scoffs. "The look in his eyes was anything but harmless."
"You're paranoid. Now can we eat." She moves to start digging through the bag.
He wants to drop it, he really does, but there's something niggling at the base of his skull, some instinct that has him pushing. He grabs her arm and she stops what she's doing and looks towards him. "There's something you're not telling me. Is it about Mitch?"
She busies herself again with taking containers out. "I'm sure I have probably twenty minutes before I'm interrupted with some emergency, so we should probably make the most of it."
He narrows his eyes, she's dodging his question. "Elizabeth." When she continues to ignore him, he continues "What made you finally admit that Mitch has a crush on you? Did he say something?"
She sighs and gives up the pretense of sorting the food, sitting back against the couch and meeting his eyes. "Look, it's not a big deal, let's just say he was a little clearer in his hotel invitation this time. When I turned him down, reminding him I was happily married, he just made some comment about how he can keep a secret. Honestly I'm glad you showed up when you did."
"He propositioned you? Again?" He takes a deep breath. He trusts his wife, without reservation, but he's having a hard time getting the image of Mitch's hand on hers out of his head. "The gall of that man."
"Henry?" She sounds uncertain as she covers his hand with hers. "You didn't really think? Babe? I am happily married."
He runs his hand over his head. "No, not really, I don't know. I trust you. I just…" He lunges towards her again with a growl and takes her mouth. He tries to put everything he's feeling into that kiss, sinking fully into her. He pulls back after a minute to catch his breath. "Sorry. I'll stop, I know how you feel about doing this in your office." (One near miss of being caught and he'd lost out on the prospect of any office hanky-panky.)
Her eyes are heated when they meet his. She's the one that grips his neck and yanks him forward, crashing their lips together again. She slides her tongue against his while she plays with the hair at the base of his scalp.
He needs to touch her skin. He manages to untuck her blouse from her slacks and moves his hand underneath to the smooth skin of her stomach, resting it there, reveling in her warmth. She ups the game, moving a hand so she can use blunt nails to scratch at his inner thigh. He moans into her mouth, she's not playing fair and she knows it. In retaliation, he traces the skin right underneath the bottom of her bra, before running a finger up and over her breast, flicking at her nipple through the thin padding.
She tenses and pushes herself into his hand. He takes that as leave to work his fingers into her bra to pinch her nipple. She pulls back with a gasp. "We can't do this here."
He knows that she's right, that this is a terrible idea. He thinks about convincing her, she's muddled up enough that he probably could. He's gotten himself off more than a few times thinking about bending her over that massive desk so it's a tempting prospect. At the same time, there are too many doors to her office and they don't all lock and he respects her too much to take the risk, some things are meant to remain fantasies. Maybe there's a compromise to be had though.
"We can't do this out here you mean." He stands up and holds his hand out. She gives him a confused look but takes his hand and allows him to pull her up. He guides her forward and when his intention becomes clear she stills.
"Henry, I…"
He can sense her uncertainty so he steps forward and gives her a gentle kiss before pulling back. "It's up to you babe, but I'm telling you that I will definitely make it worth your while."
She smiles and follows him into the bathroom. When he closes the door behind them she chuckles. He arches his eyebrows in question. She shakes her head. "It's nothing." When he continues to stare at her, she laughs again. "It's just something Mitch said, he was offering to take me to some extravagant hotel and show me the sights in San Francisco, and here you are taking me to my own bathroom." When his eyes narrow, he can tell she's holding back more laughter. "It was funnier in my head."
He growls and slams her into the door and takes her mouth. He tangles his fingers in her hair and sinks into the kiss. Their tongues do battle briefly before he shifts to nip at her lips. Her hips cant towards his, causing her to brush against his growing erection. They both moan and fall back into each other. There's little he loves more than kissing his wife. He feels like he could do it forever, but right now he needs more, he needs to possess her. It's not a particularly progressive thought and not one he would normally let himself entertain, but today he needs it. He tears himself away from her mouth, ignoring her whine of protest, and starts on her shirt buttons. She is panting and the movement of her breasts underneath the cloth is doing nothing for his patience. He manages to the buttons just below her bra when he gives up and yanks the left cup of her bra down and scoops her breast into his mouth. He sucks and licks at her nipple. When he bites at it less than gently she moans and her hand moves to the back of his head to hold him close.
He switches to her other breast, repeating the process. "Please." She is begging. "More. Take it off." He undoes the rest of the buttons and shifts away long enough to push it over her shoulders and off. He looks around frantically for someplace to put it where it won't get terribly wrinkled but he drops it to the floor when he sees her undoing her bra. He immediately takes a bare nipple back in his mouth and sucks. He dimly hears the bra drop. He brings his hand up to her other breast and squeezes, flicking his thumb back and forth over the peak. He glances up and sees her eyes closed, her mouth open, silently moaning.
After he gets his fill of worshiping her breasts while ignoring her attempts to drag him back up, he steps back to admire the sight of his wife topless. Her chest is flushed with arousal, her hair is mussed, and her lips swollen. "You're unbelievably gorgeous." He wishes he could take a picture of her like this.
Her eyes flutter open and she tilts her head in question. "Why did you stop?"
Instead of answering her question he reaches forward and undoes her pants. He pushes them down her legs along with her underwear. When he reaches her feet she obligingly kicks off her pumps and steps out of her clothes. Her shoes clatter into the corner somewhere and he leaves the slacks in a heap on the ground with her shirt (hopefully she doesn't murder him for that when she regains her senses).
"Now you." She gestures towards his clothes.
"Later," he replies. Her lips purse in consternation, but he moves forward again and takes them in a kiss. He moves a hand to her hip and sweeps his thumb over the smooth skin covering her pelvic bone while his tongue duels with hers. He shifts his mouth to her neck, tracing a path to the sensitive spot about halfway down, he grazes it with his teeth before nipping at it. Her yelp quickly changes to a moan when he soothes the spot with his tongue. He feels like reminding her how well he knows her body, wants her to remember how he can make her scream.
His right hand has been drifting closer to her center and his palm now rests on her mons, his fingers sitting atop the radiating heat where he can just feel her copious arousal. She keeps pushing forward, trying to force him to exert more pressure. He resists, continuing to tease her neck with his mouth, alternately using his teeth and his tongue.
She groans. "We don't have time for this Henry." One of her hands covers his, pushing his fingers between her outer lips and coating them in her wetness. "Blake could come knocking, or,"one side of her mouth quirks up, "Mitch could come back."
She's a minx and knows exactly what she's doing, but he really doesn't want to hear that man's name while they are doing this. He takes two fingers and thrusts them forcefully inside of her. When he hears the back of her head hit the door as she throws it back in pleasure he grins. He starts up a fast rhythm, a little harsher than he would normally go with, but she appears to be responding it. She is letting out little whimpers as he curls his fingers to hit the spongy spot on her front wall and he is absolutely here for it. He had given up on her neck as soon as he entered her and is now just enjoying watching the pleasure play across her face.
She hooks a leg around his hip, mimicking her pose from the other morning. He wraps his free hand around that thigh, pulling her closer. He slows his pace only so he can bring his thumb to the top of her sex, pressing down and circling her clit. She is letting out continuous quiet moans and he can tell she's holding back the loud screams she wants to be making. (When they are alone she is unbelievably vocal and he finds it extraordinarily sexy.)
"Elizabeth," he commands, "look at me." Her unfocused eyes reluctantly open and meet his. He scrapes his fingers forward while pressing his thumb roughly down. He sees the orgasm sweep over her body. Her eyes snap shut and she shrieks just the tiniest bit before silencing herself by biting her lip.
He needs more. Now. He drops her leg and steps back quickly. He strips himself efficiently and then yanks her around, almost throwing her as he lifts her onto the sink. It's a precarious position, with only the barest lip of counter, but he doesn't care. He pumps his erection once before he lines himself up with her entrance and thrusts forward. He moans at the feeling of being enveloped.
"Henry...fuck," she pants.
He gives her no time to recover, just starts moving in and out fast and furious, one hand tangled in her hair, the other wrapped around her waist.
"This is everything. You are everything." He says it with as much conviction as he can muster, and he knows it's mostly breathy, but he hopes his point gets across.
"Yessss. Love you. So much."
He feels the tension gathering in his back. "Come with me. Please." He moves his hand to where they are joined and sloppily circles her clit and flicks it.
She holds his gaze and lets out a low moan before clenching around him. Another thrust and he is right there with her, releasing inside of her. As their shudders slowly come to a stop, he captures her mouth in a gentle kiss. She breaks away with a smile. "Maybe I should have let you talk me into office sex years ago. That was excellent."
"It was indeed. I fear you might not be as enthusiastic after you see what happened to your clothes." His gaze drops to the heap of her irreversibly wrinkled clothes.
She shrugs her shoulders. "Eh, I can always just change and tell everyone I dropped food all over myself, it wouldn't be the first time that happened."
He laughs and steps back to clean up and get dressed. "Speaking of food, do you actually want any of the Thai I brought? I'm not offended if you don't. I can just take it home and feed it to the kids."
She gasps in mock outrage. "There's always room for noodle soup." She hops down from the counter and follows his lead, wiping herself down and pulling on her pants.
He chuckles. "Okay, okay. I'll go get it set up, you see if you can make yourself presentable."
She narrows her eyes. "I really should probably shower, but I'm hoping that it will be an early day and I can just come home in a few hours."
He smiles and ducks out of the bathroom. Just as he's pulling the door shut behind him, her outer office door opens and Mitch comes walking in, "You'll never believe it, they rescheduled my meeting again, maybe we can go get that drink a little early..." he trails off mid sentence when he sees Henry.
They stare at each other, until the door handle turns underneath Henry's hand, and Elizabeth walks out, looking down, still buttoning her shirt as she talks. "You know, I bet I can sneak out now, the world is at a pretty low smolder and you and I could take advantage of an empty house. As nice as this little afternoon delight was, it will be even better if we can be loud..." She looks up and when she sees Mitch she blushes.
Henry just smiles, and wraps his hand around Elizabeth's waist, and pulls her close. He pecks her cheek. "Whatever you'd like babe. Mitch was just leaving."